by Amy | Oct 21, 2012 | Blog, The Art of Projects, the house
Hi all. I hope this weekend finds you well. Derek and I have been super productive around the house….which is always a good thing. Unfortunately, that means I haven’t been so productive in the kitchen and we will be ordering a pizza to eat while we watch our Sunday night line up {Once Upon a Time, Football, and Revenge!!}
Anyway, I’m simply stoked to show off our new light fixture. I saw it a few months back at Menard’s and fell in l-o-v-e. Seriously. Love. Like Valentine’s Day love. The price, however…I did not love. So, I snapped a photo of it on my phone to remember it by and went on my way.
As fate would have it, I just happened to look up my precious lighting fixture online…only to discover…it had gone on sale!! Now it is mine. All mine. {And a little bit Derek’s and Panda’s too.} Here’s a link to the product…in case you love it so much you have to have it too!
Gorgeous, right? I’m seeing the almost-finished-dining room in a whole new light. {I love a good pun.}
Besides hanging the new chandy I finished patching some dry way I severely damaged while removing an awkward piece of faux wood panelling. It looks good. Sanded…painted…no giant cracks or gouges in sight.
Meanwhile, upstairs…Derek is hard at work whipping up a built in cabinet for our towels and sheets. The current system is a hot mess. But that’s a tale for another day. So I’ll leave you with this. And a promise to show it off when it’s all done.
I strive to be a project finisher. And boy does it feel good when things come together.
Amy
by Amy | Oct 19, 2012 | Blog, The Art of Gathering, The Art of Projects
It’s that time of year again. Time to hit the Goodwill at the last possible second to throw together a costume for a last minute Halloween party. If you are like me…which I think a lot of you are…you like the costume, but you don’t like the work and you don’t like spending the dough. So don’t worry. As usual, I’ve got your back. Here is a collection of costumes you can make in one afternoon with things from the local thrift shop. Some I’ve done, some I’ve laid out how they can be done…take a peek, I know you’ll be inspired.
Now, without further ado…enjoy 13 unique DIY costumes that will be the hit of the party!
My favorite costume of all time. In 2010 Derek and I dressed as the Spartan Cheerleaders. Make it yourself. Here’s what you need: Two black tank tops | a white skirt | White headband | Red athletic pants | Two old white t-shirts | Red felt.
Cut up the white shirts into sashes, then outline them with red felt. Outline the sashes with red felt. Cut out letters in felt and hot glue, glue, glue! (more…)
by Amy | Oct 17, 2012 | Blog
Well, now I had done it. If I’d just manned up this I wouldn’t have made such a scene. Great, now the slow clap is starting. My knees are shaking…but you can’t just deny a slow clap.
We were at Hippie Hole in Rapid City, SD. This was last month and I still can’t stop thinking about it. It was terrifying and awesome all in one. Our sweet friend Megan took us to Hippie Hole {South Dakota’s favorite swimming hole} while we were visiting over Labor Day Weekend. It’s well off the beaten trail. A 20-minute off road drive off the trail to be exact. Then a 1/2 mile hike down into a canyon. But finally you arrive.
The day we went was perfect. Hot, sunny…the type of September day you take advantage of before summer runs out completely. Apparently we weren’t the only ones that thought a dip in the hole would feel good.
When we arrived there were about 30 others. Later I found out it was a group of the local college football players…no wonder they were all so beefy. Oh, and let’s not forget their pretty, college girlfriends. Whatever. I was there to swim.
But as I walked boldly up to the edge to take a peek before stripping down to my swim suit…I realized something. This is a hole. I felt like I was looking into some kind of abyss. “What the heck am I doing here?” I asked myself. I’d been psyched for this for days. But suddenly it didn’t seem like such a good idea. In fact, it seemed like a death trap.
My mind flashed back to last summer when Derek and I were at a water park. There was a deep pool with a “Cannon Ball” ledge 6 feet up. Fun, right? I got up there and froze. Little boys {and even a little girl} were complaining in line behind me. Finally a boy, probably 8, said, “Umm…can I go around you? I’ll be really fast.” Awkward. And it was happening all over again.
So I took my clothes off. One step closer to death.
Derek jumped in. I braced myself to be a widow at 25.
He was fine.
Now it was my turn. Megan took my camera and told me she’d snap a photo. I know Derek made it safe, I know all these other people had survived…but I was sure I would die. This seemed terrible. Heights are bad. There is a reason we have an instinct to fear heights. Heights kill people. This was high. And the only thing to break my fall was a pool of icy water.
Cold. Freezing cold water. Everyone admitted it was numbing cold. I hate the cold. {I hate it so much today when I came home from the gym I drank my brunch smoothie in the shower just to stay warm.} I wanted to stay put on those nice, warm, solid rocks.
But it was too late. Just like the Cannon Ball Ledge…I’d made a scene by hesitating. Now the football players and pretty girls were looking. It’s bad enough to cause a scene in front of lots of pretty people. It’s especially bad to do it practically naked. My abs and uteroll {that’s the pooch right under your belly button…a roll over your uterus…} can’t compete with Miss Hippie Hole USA with her Jillian Michael’s torso.
“Okay, on three.” Yeah, that’ll buy me time. Three seconds. Why do we do that? Give ourselves three seconds. I’m an idiot.
Needless to say, “three” came and went a couple times before the things escalated to the slow clap. And, as I said at the beginning…you can’t deny the slow clap.
While the clap was getting started Abercrombie Model #14 said, “You’re just psyching yourself out. Just do it. Jump to the left…you’ll miss the rocks.”
Miss the rocks?! The clap was getting faster. I had to make a move. So I did. I jumped. It was cold. So cold, it would have numbed any injuries I obtained on contact. But upon inspection underwater, as I pulled out my wedgie and triple checked to make sure my top was in place before surfacing…I found myself to be just fine.
And I’d do it all over again. But here’s what God showed me through this awesome and terribly awkward/scary experience:
- Sometimes the moments leading up to the unknown are uncomfortable…but if you power through you’ll find something exciting.
- Lots of people have faced the unexpected and survived. I will too. Even though it feels like I’ll die trying some days.
- Sometimes God will open up a path from here to there that is quicker than hiking all the way around. It may be scary to jump but you’ll end up in the right spot.
- Never underestimate the power of a cheering section. When you see someone frozen in fear in the face of the unknown…start a slow clap.
Amy
PS–you can see Derek in the photo above. He’s in the water on the left. The encouraging Abercrombie Model #14 is laying on the rock on the right.
by Amy | Oct 16, 2012 | Blog
Aren’t boys ridiculous? For pretty much as long as I can remember, I’ve loved boys. Not in a boy crazy love sick kind of way… but in a they-are-super-fun-and-entertaining kind of way.
Over the past few years I’ve become very entertained by bromances. I love watching guys together. Especially besties. Especially the one between Derek and his BFF Nick Clark. It’s adorable, really. And by adorable I mean ridiculous. I mean, isn’t it funny how totally acceptable things for two girl besties do together seem laughable when two bros do it?
Like the two guys I saw grocery shopping together. They had a cart piled up to the Wal-Mart warehouse-like ceiling with frozen meat, beer and frozen pizza. Oh yeah, and two cans of baked beans. Just to bros getting groceries.
So, I’ve decided to take it to a new level. As I see these priceless moments, I’ll snap a photo…and share the joy with you.
Let’s start here. With a classic Nick and Derek moment. I call it:
Just to bros sharing some fro-yo.
Aw man. I’m totally in the mood for something light, fruity and somewhat healthy.
Yeah dude me too. But I’m not that hungry.
Okay, bro. Let’s split.
Because four legs are more manly than two.
Have you seen a bro moment lately? Be on the lookout. I’ll be bringing you more soon!
Amy
by Amy | Oct 13, 2012 | Blog, The Art of the Moment
I had an absolute blast shooting these fall family photos in Oak Park a few weeks ago. Besides the fact that the Pride family are near, dear friends…they are always a hoot to work with. During this session we played a game called: How many adults does it take to make a baby smile? The answer…the world may never know. After all our running, jumping and silly faces she was just a bit over stimulated. Turns out she’s happiest when you make her feel like she’s flying.
It was a lovely day. It’s been far too long since I lived in a place with colorful leaves…and these are just about the prettiest I’ve ever seen. After getting some super cute family moments on camera, corralling Scott {he kept wanting to go play with Derek in the park…who was supposed to be carrying gear}, and leaving with a camera bag/diaper bag/purse full of leaves…I think it’s safe to say we all had a fun afternoon.
by Amy | Oct 12, 2012 | Blog, The Art of Fitness
Let’s start Fitness Friday with a quick fairy tale.
Once upon a time there was a princess. The princess lived in a castle in a kingdom called Practically Canada. She and her prince went on a long journey to a far away place called Dover. While they were there they feasted day and night on the most delectable foods this new kingdom had to offer. The princess knew that eating late at night was a bad habit. She knew that eating ice cream every day was also a bad idea. She knew that staying away from the gym would make her very weak…but she didn’t care. She was too distracted by the awesome fun and friendship to be had.
Then…after seven days the prince and princess returned to Practically Canada. Then an evil queen called Reality made the princess teach Trim and Tone twice in one day…less than 24 hours after she arrived back home. She was sore and she regretted her bad choices…but the real bummer came when she had to teach again the next day…Trim and Tone–again.
The end. {Or the Beginning of a very stiff weekend.}
Okay. Total transparency. The princess is me. I went on vacation. I ate a lot. The most exercise I got was walking. No one is perfect.
Let’s all get back to it. If you’ve never used my circuits before check out the instructions here. Get fit this weekend. Click through to see the circuits. (more…)
by Amy | Oct 11, 2012 | Blog, The Art of Projects, the house
You all saw the B&A of my dining room/living room project, right? Well, that took several good days of painting. Over the years, I’ve become pretty savvy with a brush and roller. Here are a couple tricks I use every time…and a big awesome tip I just learned.
Trick #1
Yes, I know paint tray liners are only a couple bucks. But I always seem to be out right before I start a project. And the last thing I want to do when I’m rearing to slap the paint on the walls is make ANOTHER run to the hardware store. So I don’t. Instead, line your tray with foil you already have in your kitchen. It works great and crumples up really small…so it saves space in the trash can too.
Trick #2
I used to wash my brush out every time I stepped away. Dried paint in a brush or roller is a sure fire way to wreck it. But the problem I ran into was…when I was ready to paint again the brush would still be wet. Now, instead of washing them between coats or if a job gets interrupted {usually for a fro-yo run…} I wrap my roller in cling wrap and my brush in a sandwich baggie. It works great and saves you a washing. This will keep your brush moist even over night.
Who can spot the difference here?
Well, besides being two totally different images, it’s pretty obvious that the difference is that there is paint slopped all over the glass on the left. I made this mistake while painting my built in hutches. Don’t be like me. Do this instead:
Trick #3
After applying your tape, run an old debit card down the edge to seal the bond. I taped off the glass panes of my hutches…but as you can see from the photo above, taping alone can still leave a messy edge. On my windows I sealed the tape {photo above right}. I couldn’t even believe how crisp the line was. And this tip isn’t just for glass…it works with any surface.
Overall this is the trick that saved me the most time. Going back and gently scraping the messy edge of the hutches took an hour of meticulous work. Boo for that!
I hope this tricks come in handy for you. What tricks to you use when you paint? I’d love to hear them!
This thrifty list is partying at Home Stories, My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia, Savvy Southern Style, and these other great parties.
Amy
by Amy | Oct 8, 2012 | Blog, The Art of Adventure
Fifer’s produce near Dover, DE
Lots of fun had this weekend during a trip to Fifer’s Orchard near Dover, DE. Lucky us for showing up during a Fall Festival weekend! Even though there were lots of activities geared toward little ones, we were still entertained for hours.
Fifer’s produce and corn maze near Dover, DE
Fifer’s offers loads of jolly times. Including a corn maze. This year’s theme: Tractor to Table. Check out the map of the maze below! Crazy, right? How the heck do they do that??
Tractor to Table corn maze Fifer’s Orchard
I loved looking at the cool pumpkins. This is the type of thing that Martha loves. If I hadn’t flown in…you better believe I would be going home with some of these squatty green guys and warty lovelies. Yes, that’s right, I have no idea what they are actually called.
And when we weren’t playing outside, we were hanging in the fruit stand. Sipping apple cider slushies {crazy delicious} and filling mix and match bags with the prettiest apples I’ve seen this season.
Fun and games at the fall festival
And what is it about orchards, corn mazes and tricycle races? I don’t know why they go hand in hand, but they do.
Zip lining at Fifer’s Orchard
Oh, yeah. The best part? Well…besides spending an afternoon with some of my BFF’s?
The zip line.
Obviously. Weight limit cuts off at 150 lbs…so that meant I had all the fun while the boys stood on the sidelines crazy jelly. Did the children see my underoos? There’s a good chance. But come, on. It’s a zip line through bales of hay.
All in all…it’s one of the best days I’ve had this fall. Thanks Fifer’s. You rock.
Amy
PS…What did we do with all the produce we lugged home? Caramel apples, apple pie, pumpkin carving, pumpkin seeds, apples and peanut butter, and hot apple cider. I’m pretty sure I’ve gained 20 lbs this weekend. So worth it.
